"We take a little creative licence with the age of the dog as well, I don't know if you've noticed."

Now that's a funny point if you do the math!

Revenge focuses on VanCamp's character, Emily Thorne, whose father was disgraced and convicted of a crime he didn't commit when she was very young. Now grown up and using an alias, Emily Thorne has returned to the rich world of the Hamptons to methodically seek revenge -- hence, the name of the show -- on the cold, evil snobs who set up her dad.

But here's where the dog is an issue.

The pup Emily Thorne had when she was a kid has been raised by another owner and is still around the Hamptons, occasionally sniffing at Emily with mysterious familiarity. But Emily was nine when her dad was whisked away to prison, and she's 26 now (VanCamp is 25 in real life).

So let's just say the dog is looking pretty damn good for its age.

"I don't know what that dog is being fed," VanCamp said. "It's an ongoing joke."

What isn't an ongoing joke is the way Revenge -- which airs Wednesdays on ABC and Citytv -- has cut through the clutter to become one of the positive stories of the fall 2011 TV season.

"Our show was an original idea, so we didn't know how people were going to connect with it, or even if they would," said VanCamp, a native of Port Perry, Ont., who previously had regular roles on Brothers and Sisters and Everwood. "But I cannot believe the response we've had."

As for VanCamp's character, we're rooting for Emily Thorne, but we don't necessarily like her, if that makes any sense.

"She's not doing likable things, that's for sure," VanCamp said. "But it helps seeing the flashbacks and what she actually went through to get to this sociopathic, crazy place.

"It's a fine line and so far people seem to be walking that line with me and they're comfortable in that zone. That's good, you know. It could have gone either way."

In other words, all the viewers have their own revenge fantasies.

"Everyone has thought about taking revenge on someone at some point or another, whether they act on it or not," VanCamp said. "So in many ways people live vicariously through my character, and I'm happy to be that person for them. It's a lot of fun to play.

"Revenge really is universal."

Often the most direct explanation is the right one, so perhaps that does sum up the appeal of Revenge. Then again, it could be the amazing computers and ageless dog.